Donald Trump

Friday, September 26, 2014

Vaccinated Children Could Be More Vulnerable to EV-D68

The mysterious virus known as EV-D68 has spread across the Midwest at a rapid rate. Many children have been hospitalized with the virus, about 475 in Kansas City alone, and there is no known vaccine to lessen the effects of the virus or protect those that have yet to acquire it.

EV-D68 has created an outbreak in Colorado, Missouri, Utah, Kansas, Illinois, Ohio, and four more states in the Midwest. The symptoms can mimic those of the influenza virus, but can have a much more dire impact on those that fall ill. Dr. Mary Anne Jackson, the hospital’s division director for infectious disease shared her concern with CNN.

“It’s worse in terms of scope of critically ill children who require intensive care. I would call it unprecedented. I’ve practiced for 30 years in pediatrics, and I’ve never seen anything quite like this,”

Although there is no known vaccine for the virus, and the scope which it will reach is also unknown, those that have become infected are following a common theme. They have all been vaccinated with the MMR vaccines, influenza vaccines, and polio vaccines. Of course, many children in the United States have been vaccinated, and most are required to be vaccinated in order to enter school. However, it is interesting to note that the illness is not occurring, yet, in children that have not been vaccinated.

William Shaffner, head of Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University, has not shared that EV-D68 has only infected vaccinated children, but does share his concern about the virus.